Parties in war of words over shack attack
THE Land Party has rubbished allegations that its supporters were behind the razing of shacks in Zwelihle, Hermanus, and instead charged that ANC leaders had plotted to assassinate its leader, Gcobani Ndzongana, before last week’s elections.
Land Party spokesperson Mandy Owens said accusations that the party was behind the demolition of shacks on Saturday in the Marikana informal settlement had prompted reprisals on Ndzongana.
During the altercation, four shacks were demolished and, according to police spokesperson FC van Wyk, a 23-year-old woman was arrested.
“There is absolutely no truth about Gcobani being arrested or Land Party members demolishing any shacks.
“The Land Party is aware that its members are under attack by the ANC after the ANC faced defeat in three wards in Zwelihle.
“There are two ANC councillors involved in the shack demolishing and all this was done to rally the community behind the ANC and to then go burn down the house of our leader.
“We will open a case at the police station and identify the culprits involved, and we will be demanding the arrest of those individuals,” Owens said. But ANC Overberg chairperson Theo Oliver blamed the Land Party and said its supporters broke down the shacks of ANC supporters in the area on Saturday.
“While tearing down the shacks, Land Party supporters were chanting ‘those who didn’t vote for chief leader Gcobani must leave’. Those who tear down the shacks were wearing Land Party T-shirts,” Oliver said.
ANC Western Cape spokesperson Dennis Cruywagen said they had received reports that alleged Land Party members tried to intimidate those who had voted for the ANC. The party has also called on the police to investigate the incident as a priority.
Van Wyk said according to reports a group of people on Saturday between 11.20am and 12pm went to the Marikana informal settlement, where they approached shacks allegedly owned by other political parties and accused them of voting for other parties.
“The owners of the shacks were intimidated, their shacks demolished and they were told to leave the area.”